Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 90. (Budapest 1998)

Hír, J.: Cricetids (Rodentia, Mammalia) of the Early Pleistocene vertebrate fauna of Somssich-hegy 2 (Southern Hungary, Villány Mountains)

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARIC1 Volume 90. Budapest, 1998 pp. 57-89. Cricetids (Rodentia, Mammalia) of the Early Pleistocene vertebrate fauna of Somssich-hegy 2 (Southern Hungary, Villány Mountains) J. HÍR Municipal Museum H-3060 Pásztó, Múzeum tér 5, Hungary HÍR. J. (1998): Cricetids (Rodentia. Mammalia) of the Early Pleistocene vertebrate fauna of Somssich-hegy 2 (Southern Hungary, Villány Mountains). - Annls hist.-nat. Mus. natn. hung. 90: 57-89. Abstract - From the Early Pleistocene fauna of Somssich-hegy 2, three cricetid taxa were described by DÉNES JÁNOSSY (Cricetulus sp., Allocricetus sp.. Cricetus cricetus runtonensis). A revision of the material by the present author found four species {Allocricetus bursae, Allocricetus ehiki, Cricetus nanus. Cricetus runtonensis). On the basis of a morphological analysis we can distinguish different evolutionary lines among the Hungarian Pleistocene Cricetus. With 33 figures and 28 tables. INTRODUCTION The locality Somssich-hegy 2 (pronounced as "shomshitsh-hedy") is situated on the top of the Somssich Hill, 9 m from a wine house, about 50 m E of a topographical reference-point (180.2 m above sea level) (JÁNOSSY 1986: Fig. 7). It was discovered by DÉNES JÁNOSSY and GYÖRGY TOPÁÉ in 1975. They begun the excavation from the surface and after 8 years a 8 m deep vertical fissure was unearthed. The infilling sediment was excavated in 47 layers (20-30 cm thickness). All of them yielded rich microverte brate material. The detailed description of the locality and an evaluation of the fossil material are given by JÁNOSSY (1983, 1986, 1990) who listed and described three hamster taxa: Cricetulus sp., Allocricetus sp. and Cricetus cricetus runtonensis NEWTON. The aim of this paper is to give a taxonomic treatment and a revision of this material based on detailed biometrical and morphological studies. The dispersion and the abundance of the hamsters give new data for the paleoecological evaluation of the section. The material is deposited in the Department of Geology and Paleontology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest. METHODS Measurements were taken using the ocular micrometer of a stercomicroscopc to a theoretical accuracy of 0.01 mm. The following dimensions were measured (Fig. 1):